The Top 20 Most Credible Natural Food Brands

The pressure industrialized food production has on the planet affects us all—from the toxic agro-chemical genetically modified seed industry, to the billions of animals raised for food, to the artificial ingredients that flavor, preserve and color processed foods—it’s enough to make any stroll through a local supermarket feel surreal, even scary. Aisle after aisle of packaged foods contain more unrecognizable ingredients than recognizable ones.

We’ve come to rely on the health food store as panacea to the supermarket, blindly filling our shopping cart with items we assume to be healthy. But even our beloved organic foods can contain non-organic stabilizers, gelling agents and flavors, some with known human health risks. And it makes sense as many of the major multinational corporate conglomerates that dominate conventional supermarkets also own many of the natural food brands we love. Discernment can be tricky.

What we know for sure is that less is more. Buying ingredients instead of “products” is the best way to a truly healthy meal. This means fresh fruits and vegetables—best when local and seasonal, and even better when you grow your own. Buying bulk grains, beans, seeds and nuts, and again, making your own meals from scratch decreases your risk for foodborne illnesses, excess salt, sugar, trans fats and other unsavory ingredients. While this is the goal for many of us, it is not often a reality. So we cut corners, buying boxed cereal instead of making our own, pasta sauce from a jar, frozen pizza, and so on.

If we look to food brands as a condiment to our otherwise pure diets, there are some worthy of supporting. And in this modern world where we can research products at the swipe of a smart phone, we owe it to our healthiest selves to make sure what we put in our bodies is of the highest quality.

While it may seem as if there would be hundreds of natural food brands worthy of recognition, coming up with just 20 was a task. Some well-known brands did not make this list for several reasons. First: Amy’s. While we love that Amy’s is still family-owned and uses a roster of recognizable ingredients, most of the products are made for the microwave. And we simply cannot recommend that as a healthy method of cooking. The brand does however offer a few items that are not meant for a microwave, but also beware of the canned soup line, as the brand does not say it uses BPA-free packaging.

Another brand not on this list is White Wave/Silk. Not only is the brand owned by the largest dairy conglomerate in the U.S., Dean Foods (although they’re looking to sell it), they’ve also replaced organic soybeans in the soymilk and soy products with non-organic. And, most every nondairy milk brand available contains non-organic ingredients like gelling agents, including carrageenan–a known carcinogen also connected with digestive disorders. You can easily make your own instead.

Also not included on this list are any dairy or meat brands (and not just because I am a vegan). Research has shown that most consumers who truly understand the benefits of organically raised animal products, also value the locally raised model and support regional farmers and ranchers. As a general rule, we recommend this as well. Get to know a local dairy farmer. Go visit a chicken farm or a cattle ranch. Chances are there are several near you, and if you do consume animal products, it’s much to your advantage to see where your animals come from. Smaller farms are better farms. Period.

Organic foods are always recommended when possible. Not all of these brands are organic; but all employ quality standards and ingredients, and some even observe Fair Trade practices as well.

Our criteria included recommendations taken from The Cornucopia Institute Scorecards (soy and carrageenan). As well, we looked at the operation of the business, relationship to suppliers and producers, and the taste and quality of the actual food items themselves.

10. Theo Chocolate: You can find a lot of locally made chocolates now in most major cities, but a good default option is Theo’s organic and Fair Trade varieties. Not all vegan.

9. Artisana: High quality clean nut butters in glass jars.

8. Bob’s Redmill: Stick with the solo ingredients rather than the mixes.

7. Dr. Bronner’s: They mostly make the world’s best soap, but their coconut oil is now available in stores and it’s the best-tasting Fair Trade coconut oil currently available. Hopefully they bring more products with integrity to our food supply.

6. Big Tree Farms: A newcomer to the food industry, but they’re doing some revolutionary products including coconut palm sugar. And working with thousands of farmers in Bali as a cooperative is also pretty cool.

Jill Ettinger is a Los Angeles-based journalist and editor focused on the global food system and how it intersects with our cultural traditions, diet preferences, health, and politics. She is the senior editor for sister websites OrganicAuthority.com and EcoSalon.com, and works as a research associate and editor with the Cornucopia Institute, the organic industry watchdog group. Jill has been featured in The Huffington Post, MTV, Reality Sandwich, and Eat Drink Better. Twitter @jillettinger | www.jillettinger.com.

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